RWBY: Ride the Noise (A Faunus Story)
by BadJohn
Summary: Saddle B. Cervidae, a young Faunus, missed his ride to beacon, and has to walk through the snow to reach the school. But, along the way, his endurance is tested by a tough opponent. Can the dark skinned, callow young man find a chink in the Grimm attacker's armor?


Snow lightly crunched underfoot, leaving crisp, clear footprints with each step forward. Our subject, Saddle B. Cervidae, slowly hoofed it through the snowy woods, his arms clasped together. His sword lightly slapped against his back with each step, as he rubbed his arms against each-other.

The wind had blown his map away, but he was confident he was walking through relatively safe woods.

_Of course, I wouldn't be walking if I hadn't been so late for the airship..._ Saddle's expression darkened. _I could be on a warm blimp, safe, and on my way to Beacon without incident. But noooooo. _Saddle kicked the snow in frustration. _Had to go and mess that up like a total numpty.._**_._**The young man cursed under his breath, a thin trail of transparent white bleeding from between his lips, reminding him of the obvious.

_It's cold._

He wasn't truly uncomfortable. He'd gotten used to it after the first three miles. He kept his arms across his chest, warming himself. His short sleeved jacket did little for him. His sword and backpack hardly bothered him either. He was just annoyed on principle.

A dollop of snow fell from the brim of his hat to his nose. He had hardly noticed, but his head, shoulders, the brim of his hat, and most prominently, his short, pointed antlers were covered in fresh powder. "Am I moving _that_slow?"

The seventeen year old buck Faunus was a pitifully humorous sight. Dark skinned, with a chipped left antler, shivering, and covered in snow, he was indeed an oddity out here.

The snow came off with a shake, and he wiped himself. To his relief, he was relatively dry. "I'm starting to think I prefer warm weather."

_Chirp, chirp, cheep._

Saddle turned to determine the source of the noise. Curious, he spotted a baby bird, yellow and frizzy, frantically slapping its young, useless wings in the snow. His face morphed into a magnanimous, pitying grin, as he scooped the little creature up. He wasn't quite tall, at five feet and ten inches, but on his toes, he reached the nest, and deposited the little bird there.

"World can be cruel, huh little guy?" Saddle looped his thumb around the strap of his backpack. "But lucky for you, it can give you second chances."

Suddenly, the Faunus' blood ran cold. Something in him was prompting him to incoming danger. He reacted too late, turning on his heels, his attacker took the first blow, slamming into his chest.

He couldn't see, the immense creature blurring his vision, but he could feel it grinding against his skin like a whetstone. A massive, circular object smashed against him like a boulder, and threw him clean through the tree. "**_Gahaaaaaaaow..."_** Saddle landed on his side, clutching his ribs and face, his mouth bloodied by the blow. He stood, facing his attacker and putting tight grip on the handle of his sword, ready to draw it.

The beast huffed, unfurling itself. A creature of Grimm, its flesh was black, save for wide, white panels of armor. It looked like an armadillo, but scaled up by thirty times. It was easily bigger than Saddle, four times his size and weight.

Saddle exhaled and inhaled, drinking the white, translucent smoke. "Cheap shot." He wiped his cheek with his forearm. "But I'm still standing, so you're going to have to fight me from the FRONT, you suckerpunching, marble bodied galoot."

The armadillo seemed to take umbrage with the comment. Its narrow mouth opened, and it released a shrill roar, rolling up. It almost silently revved, its body rotating against the snow, as it gained traction. It hurtled towards Saddle, as he drew his sword, standing defiant, the blade raised, and one foot forward, dug hard into the snow and dirt.

Saddle's faith in his sword, _Reinier,_ was firm and absolute. Handed down from his father, and blessed by his mother, both powerful Hunters before their passing, this sword had a pedigree. _Reinier_ wasn't fancy, a simple Han Dynasty Jian, with a black leather grip and a brown wooden scabbard, she was special for one reason.

_Reinier_ never bent, chipped, gave, or broke, and she always returned, even when thrown. That gleaming silver blade, oiled, sharpened, and treated with only the utmost care, was the heart of his absent parents, and his only remaining family member.

Saddle never considered that she would fail to pierce through. His blood now hot with anger and fear, he drew his blade, leaped forward, and swung.

_**CLAAAAAAANG.**_

In the fierce instant of the clash, Saddle felt his sword grind against the armadillo's skin. His body was out of harm's way, but he made a horrifying discovery. Though her spine remained strong, and her blade didn't give an inch, _Reinier _couldn't pierce this creature.

The armadillo plowed through the exchange, and Saddle, who had overcommitted to the strike, fell flat in the snow, struggling to rise.

The Grimm was on him again, leaping through the air for a killing assault. Swift, and a quick thinker, the Faunus dove out of the way, and got his feet back under him, sprinting away from the impact. Powdered snow was thrown every which way, forcing him to shield his eyes. The armadillo took advantage, hurtling towards him again, but missing. Saddle hopped clear of the creature.

"...Gotta try something ELSE." Sheathing his blade, the young man planted his feet, and focused on his left arm. _Aura_. He shook his head, knocking snow off his hat, antlers, and glasses, clearing his vision and his mind._Empower me for a sec. _He watched the armadillo stand and turn.

"Let's see whose hide is stronger, then." Saddle couldn't deny a tinge of nervousness in his voice. He didn't know if he had the power to stop the beast's charge cold, but it was his only plan. Battered and bruised, he refused to die without meeting his opponent head on. "You're not my biggest opponent yet, but you're definitely the TOUGHEST."

The armadillo lurched forward.

"My shield..."

Saddle's left arm was primed, his hand loose. He could feel more power than he needed flowing through that sinewy, relaxed arm. Confidence replaced fear.

**_"IS STRONGER THAN YOURS!"_**

Saddle leaped, and swung his palm forward, as the armadillo met him in midair. Their second clash was just as quick as the first, with opposite results.

The air seperating them, but inches, was filled by a thick pane of solid, brown, unfocused Aura. The buckshot blast from Saddle's arm served two purposes: to defend him from a potentially lethal blow, and to strike back with all the strength that his muscles alone couldn't.

In that hot, powerful instant, the Faunus could hear a cracking of armor. His fingertip brushed a shard of the armadillo's hide, as it passed his hand. The creature unfurled in midair, and was tossed like a cannonball to the ground, as though the Faunus had simply swatted the beast with color. He landed on both feet, his sword brought to bare. White powder was thrown everywhere, but Saddle could hear. He could ride on the noise, and find the weak point without his sight. The armadillo was directly in front of him, and getting up, intent on fighting back.

It was Saddle's turn to suckerpunch.

He drew his sword, and charged, eyes shut and ears wide. He leaped, and brought his blade down. This time, _Reinier_ pierced through. The Faunus buck felt the armadillo's black blood splash his hands. Bones crunched under his boots. He'd hit the soft spot that his aura had cracked.

"Am I piercing your heart?" Saddle whispered. The creature wasn't moving, having gone still. He stood, and swung his blade, throwing off the creature's fluids. He watched as the powder cleared. He inhaled, letting fresh air back into his painfully burning lungs.

The armadillo faded away into black ash, his armor left behind, shattered, but still thick and strong. Saddle dipped down, scooping up a shard of the creature's hide. "Good fight."

As the heat left his blood, so did his strength. As he walked away from the beast's remains, he faltered, his knee crunching against the snow. "Oh boy. Adrenaline gone...Owch...Friggin' scunner armadillo..." He whimpered to himself, as pain racked his body. "Another hit would have KILLED me, and I'm not in good shape as is, and staying out here will kill me too, only slower." He put his hands under himself, lifting off of the snow. "C'mon, Saddle. Keep the blood flowin'."

He slipped, his chin striking the snow. He clutched his chipped left antler in frustration. "C'MON! You can do it!" He cheered himself, rising again. "It was only one hit. Play through the pain." He was on his knees when a tiny speck of yellow caught his attention.

He looked up, spying an old friend. The tree that was battered down left the tiny, yellow, baby bird homeless again. It chirped in frustration, begging for help from whatever intended to listen.

"Yeah, the world is cruel, huh? Downright merciless." The Faunus looked at the bird, fixated. "Sorry we bashed down your home, little guy."

Then a small miracle occurred. A tiny, brown sparrow swooped down, nestling in the snow beside the tiny yellow bird. The baby bird was scooped up by the sparrow, its mother, and carried off to safety. Saddle sat there, confused for a moment.

"Huh. Well, I guess it all worked out for him, then." Summoning all the endurance he could, Saddle stood, and continued walking, his black boots crunching the snow. It was painful, but it was what it took to live. "I've got no folks to fly me to safety, so I guess I gotta make my own happy ending."

He smiled, positivity overtaking pain, his lungs heaving panting breaths.

"Da da daaaaah, dah da da daaa da da daaaaaah~," Saddle amused himself, and hummed quietly as he walked, keeping his mind off of the soreness of his shoulders and back. Unbeknownst to him, his Aura was setting to work, repairing the damage and soothing the bruises.

With that, the Faunus continued straight on, humming quietly to himself, riding his feet, and the notes of his infectious humming.

_Endure. One more time. You'll find somewhere warm eventually._


End file.
